Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-09-06
1ales aud Sketehes.
Through the Land-Slip.
By CHARLES BARNARD.

crossed by railroad. After it was opened
and trains ran through the mountains in
less than an hour, every one remarked that
it was not such very difficult piece of rail
road work after all The farming people
who lived on the wild, rough hillsides to
the east and west of the range knew the
mountains were steep, rocky and confused.
The peaks stood up in irregular clumps
and masses. There were no cross valleys,
nor the slightest suggestion of pass. II
was not a wonder that they should think
the place impossible.
What did the railroad people do ? They
followed up one short valley on one side
till they came to the very end. Then they
bored a curving tunnel and struck the
upper end of a crooked valley that after
many windings struck the other side.
When we see man occupying posi-
ton of trust and responsibility, we some
times wonder how he got there. Here
was Henry Masterson, engineer of the
mixed train that every afternoon went
through the mountains over this winding
piece of the main line. He was quite
Young, only twenty eight. Not brilliant
looking man. Not at all talker. One
of your plain folks, just the kind of man
to be looking out of cab window. You
felt sure he would not run past danger
signal, come in behind time, waste steam,
or knock his splendid machine to pieces
by neglect or carelessness. He was mar
ried, and had a little house up on the
mountain side, just at the next entrance of
the winding valley. He could see the
house as soon as he began to turn the
great curve in the valley beyond the tun-
mel as he went west. The house was
more than two miles away, yet in winter,
when his train came through after dark,
his wife could see his headlight from her
window. She was always there, on the
ing at it till the train came down the valley
and stopped at the little way station just
below the house. When he came through
by daylight: she could see the white steam
far away up the valley.
How did he get the placer He worked
up. His wife had been telegraph opera
tor. She only left that business because
he ask ed her to take care of his little house
on the mountain side. At odd times she
had taught him the dot and dash alphabet,
and they could talk together nicely with
out saying word, and often did so-tor
amusement-little thinking what would
come of it.
1t had been cloudy and wet for three
days. BY noon the rain came down in a
steady pour The morning trains through
the mountains reported one or two trouble
some land ships. The soft clay and ooze
had crept down the track and in one in
stance nearly hid the rails. However,
the trackmen were out in full force, and
no doubt they would keep the line clear.
The mixed train was the last one going
west at night; its name implied it was
composed partly of freight and partly OF
passenger cars. 1t was past five o'clock
as the train began to creep up the long
grades on the east side. The engineer
was pushing her rather hard. 1t was i'm
portant to get past the tunnel before dark,
in order to keep good outlook tor wash
outs and landsl Already it was be-
ginning to grow dark, and he was not at all
sorry to see the green light at the entrance
to the tunnel. The grade was easy here,
and she seemed to behave better. The
tunnel was soon cleared and the long, wind
ing down grade begun. The last CLEANS
of daylight showed the line clear, but
plenty OF water flowing over it from
rivulets that darted down the mountain
side. The bare trees and the half-frozen
ground sent all the water down upon the
line. and with the water came the terrible
sticky ooze and mud.
Red lights She had plenty of spare
steam, and obeyed her brakes easily.
Trackmen ahead. Mud and gravel on
the line. A pause and whistle or two.
The echo seemed to roar and rumble along
the mountains, and there was only the
murmur of the fast falling rain and the
roar of the swollen brook far down in the
valley. Then the red light was with
drawn. A waving lantern cried. "Come
on" She moved forward slowly, and in
a moment was grinding and crashing
through the Shiny gravel that covered the
line. Lucky it was no worse.
Half mile more and the tow bridge
would be reached and the little house
would be in sight. Jane would have a
light in the window for him. Then down
the grade to the turn only ten miles away.
And then the Round House, ride back
on the upfreight, and he would be at home.
There's the light-a faint yellow star in
the fading twilight.
What's that? What has happened to
the mountainp The tall pines seen against
the murky sky seemed to be thrashing
about as if rocked by violent wind. Some
were falling. others moved. The whole
mountain side seemed in commotion. She
stopped with sudden jar that startled the
passengers and tumbled over some of the
loose freight. The mountain was falling.
1t came down in a vast avalanche-trees
and rocks crashing and falling together.
A huge river of muddy water, clay and
debris. 1t swept over the retaining walls,
buried the tracks out of sight, and poured
in wild flood down into the valley,
crashing through the forest and making a
broad path of destruction down towards
the brook below. 1t poured over the track
for moment or two and then abruptly
stopped, and the wild tangle of trees,
rocks, sand, and mud shook and quivered
| for moment, and then settled down into
CHASTITY kind of repose.
whats the matter, Henry ?" said the
conductor as he came out 'longside the
engine.
"Laud-slip The road is blocked for a
week or more. Look at that! Six feet
of gravel over the rails"
The two men stepped down from the
engine and went forward with the conduc
tor. The rain had stopped. and there
were hints OF break in the flying clouds.
Just as they came to the edge of the slip,
the moon shone out and showed the vast
destruction in dreadful clearness, Little